communist regime Corneliu Coposu (1914–1995) – liberal politician, victim of the communist regime Aurel Vlaicu (1882–1913) – inventor, aviation pioneer Iosif Trifa (1888–1938) – Eastern Orthodox priest, founder of the "Oastea Domnului" ("Lord's Army") Christian organisation Nichita Stănescu (1933–1983) – poet and essayist Ion Creangă (1837–1889) – writer Mădalina Manole (1967–2010) – pop singer Corneliu Vadim Tudor (1949–2015) – ultranationalist politician, writer and journalist; founder and leader of the Greater Romania Party Traian Vuia (1872–1950) – inventor, aviation pioneer Lucian Blaga (1895–1961) – poet, playwright, and philosopher George Emil Palade (1912–2008) – cell biologist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (1974) Ana Aslan (1897–1988) – biologist, physician and inventor, the author of essential research in gerontology Adrian Mutu (1979– ) – football player Florin Piersic (1936– ) – theater and film actor Mihail Kogălniceanu (1817–1891) – politician and historian, first Prime Minister of the United Principalities of Romania Iancsi Korossy (1926–2013) – jazz pianist Dimitrie Cantemir (1673–1723) – Prince of Moldavia and prolific man of letters Ilie Năstase (1946– ) – tennis player Gheorghe Zamfir (1941– ) – musician, pan flute player Gică Petrescu (1915–2006) – musician, folk and pop music composer and singer Elisabeta Rizea (1912–2003) – anti-communist partisan Bulă (fictional) – a stock character of Romanian jokes of the communist era Amza Pellea (1931–1983) – theater and film actor Matei Corvin (1443 (?) – 1490) – King of Hungary Mircea cel Bătrân (1355–1418) – Prince of Wallachia Titu Maiorescu (1840–1917) – literary critic and politician Toma Caragiu (1925–1977) – theater and film actor Mihai Trăistariu (1979– ) – pop singer Andreea Marin (1974– ) – TV show host Emil Racoviță (1868–1947) – biologist, co-founder of biospeleology and explorer of Antarctica Victor Babeș (1854–1926) – biologist and early bacteriologist, one of the founders of microbiology Nicolae Bălcescu (1819–1852) – leader of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution Horia-Roman Patapievici (1957– ) – writer and essayist Ion Iliescu (1930– ) – first President of Romania after the 1989 revolution Marin Preda (1922–1980) – novelist Eugen Ionescu (1909–1994) – playwright, one of the initiators of the theatre of the absurd Dumitru Stăniloae (1903–1993) – Eastern Orthodox priest and theologian Alexandru Todea (1905–2002) – Greek-Catholic bishop, victim of the communist regime Tudor Gheorghe (1945– ) – singer and theater actor Ion Țiriac (1939– ) – tennis player and businessman Ilie Cleopa (1912–1998) – Eastern Orthodox archimandrite Arsenie Boca (1910–1989) – Eastern